fantasybooknerd

Warning, this is not a review, just some musings

I am late to the party with Joe Abercrombie. I don't know why, but I am. I wasn't going to write a review of this book. My intention was to just put up some stars and direct you to the much more accomplished reviews that are about this book.

However, I changed my mind and thought I would put some thoughts down on paper.

When it comes to Joe Abercrombie, and the amount of stars this bloke receives on review sites, he could literally throw them up in the sky and create his own universe. I mean the general consensus is that Abercrombie is such a good writer he could write a story that would convince a donkey it's a horse.

So needless to say, I had some pretty high expectations for this book. I expected this to be a masterclass in grimdark writing (I think you can see where this is going, can't you. There seems to be an unwritten ‘but' here doesn't there. However, before you all start howling at me that I don't know what the hell I am talking about, give me a minute!)
So, the book starts with Logan fighting a Shanka, or a flathead as they are also known. I am reading this. I think this is not a bad start, I haven't got a clue what a Shanka is, but I will go along with it and see where it goes.
The point of view then moves to Inquisitor Glotka. A member of the kings inquisition who is very good at his job of torturing people and has a severe dislike of stairs. His no.1 greatest enemy. Partway through his torture session, he suddenly has a job appraisal with his boss who gives him a secret mission
I've got to say, there's nothing grabbing me here. You know, it's just not doing it for me at all.
After Glotka, there's the introduction of another character, Jenkal. Now the book throws me because all of a sudden in my head it changes to a William Thackery type setting and reminds me of Vanity Fair.
Ok, we have a nifty bit of world building going on here. The barbarian north and Thackery's London.
Still a bit unsure about it to be honest with you , but I think I will plough on because this book is supposed to be like goldust.
Well, a few things happen in the first book and it keeps changing pov between these three characters. Logan is quite good, Glotka constantly tells you what is going on in his head and then there's Jezal, who, to be quite honest is a bit of a dick.
So for this first part, I an generally plodding along with the book, thinking ‘I might just give this a miss because its brilliance seems to be passing me by and I am not getting the hype at all. I mean seriously, I was thinking of ditching this book. It seemed to me there was no plot and it seemed to be just moving form POV to POV.
However, something weird started happening, in that I was laughing along with the prose. There seems to be some pretty dark humour running all the way through this book.
And then when Bayaz does his magic thing and starts blowing up the forest, the same way that Gandalf never would, I start to get really in to it. Then, I cannot put the book down and all of a sudden the pacing goes through the roof and I have finished it.
So, if you are just starting with Abercrombie, don't be put off. Stick with it, the payoff is ace. If you want a review, there are loads, with Petrik being the most notable, but other reviewers are available.

Well, this is a terrific trilogy of books. V. E . Schwab, where have you been all my life.

The book begins immediately from the end of the second book and then gallops along at breakneck pace.

You do think that this pace cannot be maintained and it does slow down.

One of the things that is really good about Schwabs writing is that her world building skills are really impressive. Rather than bogging down the reader with complicated prose that describes the world, Schwab moves her characters through the world as part of the story.

She also has a brilliant skill of expanding the characters and she does with the minor characters as well as the major characters like Holland and Alucard.

The relationship between Rhy and Alucard is explored further, and one of the best things about this is that it is completely natural and there is no fuss about it.

Definitely, one of my favourite fantasy series.

My review of Time of the Twins -

Caramon/Raistlin. Stop it. If you don't pack it in I am going to bash your heads together.

Dwarves - stop it. Pack it in. If you don't stop it I am going to bash your heads together.

Nooooooo, Timely Wimey stuff
My head hurts.

Oooh, Crysania, can't you just see he's using you.

Where's Taz, not enough Taz

Well, didn't see that coming

Oh for god's sake Caramon, just kill him.

Oh, There's Taz. Definitely not enough Taz.

Yeah well, you will go and think he's god's gift won't you.

My eyes, my eyes - stop talking about Raistlin's muscled body.

Raistlin! There was no need for that.

So here we go again. Timey wimey stuff.

This is a strange little book. The story revolves around a young girl, Alice Rowland who lives in Edwardian London with her mother and monstrous father, the vet of the story.
I had never heard of Barbara Comyns previously and heard somebody discussing this book on a BBC radio programme.
If you like Shirley Jackson, then you will get on with this book. It reminds me of The Sundial in a way.
This was written in the fifties and some of the language does show. However, if you want a short dose of strangeness read this.

I have really enjoyed this series of books. This is a brilliant close to the story. It chronicles the end of the final empire, but it also gives a good ending to the main character's journey that has been developing in the first two books. Really enjoyed it. Ps. There were no spoilers, so if you are reading this set of books for the first time I will not spoil the end for you.